Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-29


hall into another room, and looked
out towards the garden. What was
that dark thing just outside the fence?
There could be no doubt aboutit. 1t
was another snake .a .tss5s.j IA. IL i
BY this time Mrs. Matsor's blood
was up. Calling Sally, one Of the SER
wants, she sent her to the kitchen to
order the cooks boy Joe to make
circuit OF the house and kill every
snake in sight, ~
! In two minutes Sally returned with 4
q face almost bleached. e..
4 Joe done gone ter de fell" she 4
said; "an' cook already killed two big
snakes in de kitchen, an done shet de
do. - / see five uf um in de. yard an
one under de steps," - 49,.
The situation began to assume a.
serious aspect. Mrs. Matson at once
had all the doors closed, and proceed
ed to inspect tho surroundings from
every window in the house. -.
What she saw appalled, her. The
fierce rays of the sun made every OBJ
jet appear to pulse and throb, and
half blinded as she was with the glare,
it took some little time for her to
Salty herself that she was not mis-
taken.
Twisting and twining among the
flowers she counted at least a dozen
serpents. They dotted the lawn in
front of the house and were crawling
along the winding walks. In the shady
1,o NJ x-o III - u,o still vu1rco TN III Flo
Enclosure appeared to be aliving, wrig
Cling mass ofshining scales and glitter
ing eyes. Many of the snakes were
running under the house, but how many
had already reached that place OF
shelter the frighten1 watcher was I'M
able to tell.
Mrs. Matson retreated to the spa
cious hall and clasped her hands over
her eyes. 1t was a peculiar noise that
she heard. It sounded like a gentle
kissing, mingled with arustling and an
occasional muffled flap, flap! What
could it be? 1t was easy enough to
answer the question. The noise could
only have been made by the scores,
and perhaps hundreds, OF squirming,
twisting reptiles under the house.
For the first time in her life Mrs.
Matson was thoroughly terrified.
Obeying a sudden impulse, she rushed
into the room assigned to the inv aid.
Aunt Lucy stood covering in one
corner, trem bling with fear and unable
to utter word.
Sitting upright in bed, with an un-
natural glitter in his eyes and darting
his odd little head from side to side,
was the unknown guest.
'Ladee,'' he said in an unfamiliar
brogue, "be not afraid. No harm ter
dees house. Mesoon meself. Strange
theengs alarm de ladee. Eets all
right"
Mrs. Matson waited to hear no more;
she ran frantically to the parlor and
bolted herself in
'Ladee! LadeeH'
1t was the voice of the stranger out
in the hail. There was sound as Of
somebody struggling, and the mellow
voice of Aunt Lucy was uplifted in
vain remonstrance.
"Missus, oh, mlssus," she cried. "Dis
yer Mister Man hab done got on his
clothes, an is er takin' on pow'ful. He
says he bound fer ter 60"
"Ladee, goodbye. I promised no
harm ter dees house. So go. Good
bye, good-bye!''
There was another struggle, and a
yell from Aunt Lucy, and then the
opening and closing of a door signaled
the mans departure.
From the back windows the mis-
tress of the house and the half-dement-
ed women saw the strangest sight that
mortal eyes ever beheld.
Onward down the slope leading to
the river walked or rather glidal the
stranger.
From every clump OF sirubbery and
every tuft of grass darted a snake.
The man swayed two and fro, whirl-
ing his arms. welcoming and reckoning
the legion of serpents. Whizzing
through the grass, tossing their heads
and kissing all the while the excited
moccasins soon closed in upon the
man. They twined around his legs,
girded his waist, hung upon his arms
and shoulders and wrapped themselves
about his neck until he was g. moving
tower of snakes!
Onward, down"to the river whirled
this strange combination ofmonsters.
The. distracted watchers at the big
house strained their eyes to see the
end of it all.
The moving mass disappeared.
There was a plunge into the yellow
waters Of the broad river, and all was
over!
4 X
When John Matson returned late
that afternoon, he found a perfect
bedlam at his house From the SER
wants he could gather nothing but the
widest and most incoherent tales.
His fainting wife was in the first stages
OF brain fever, and it was many a long
day before she could answer his ques-
tons. e..
at is such blank business, the
whole blank thing" said Matson to
his family doctor, "that I'll be blank
ed if care to say blank word about
it,"
The doctor was sensible man. He
agreed with Matson that the best way
was to Keep mum.
A Labor Organs Advice to Work
ingmen.
From the Carpenter.
The greatest danger with new
unione,; and at times even older
nnions. ia that thew are prone to en-